Cigar Name: DaVinci Exhibicion E Robusto (5 x 50)
Cigar Description: Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler
Cigar Strength: Full
Review of the Cigar itself: In our lives we sometimes meet interesting people and animals. I had, at one point, 4 furrkids (kids of the four-legged kind) -- all of whom were cats. In the last year we lost 3 of them: 1 to old age (Mittens at age 16) and 2 kittens to FeLV (Julia at age 1 and Rosie at age 1.5). The third one was this past Friday, Rosie. It was heartbreaking to lose Rosie because she was a sweet kitten who wanted nothing more than to be loved and to belong. I'd often be writing a cigar review or enjoying a cigar and she'd be sitting somewhere in my office, watching me and purring in absolute bliss. Yes, cats aren't often "manly" things but Rosie was kinda special. She was very timid and shy when we first got her and she, in effect, became my little baby and pet project (no pun intended). I was determined to bring her out of her shell and socialize her more. Within a month or so, I had succeed in that. She still had her moments but for the most part, she was leaps and bounds above where she was. We had gotten the two kittens from a guy who kept them in a room by themselves for 16 hours a day. When he got home he'd sleep, completely ignoring them. As short as their lives were, we know that they had rich ones with us.
So I thought today I'd smoke a special cigar in memory of little Rosie, the kitten with the sneaky smile. I had picked up the DaVinci from one of the B&Ms in January. The chocolate-coloured wrapper smelled of a deep nutty smell and smelled well constructed with one or two medium sized veins. At first taste the cigar seemed sweet but as I prepared the end to be cut, I noticed a more subtle earthy flavouring to it. As I toasted the foot, I could see little sparkles of plume firing off. The aroma was a sweet, gentle smell and, unlike other full cigars that have Nicaraguan filler, there was just enough smoke to be pleasant but not too much to overwhelm. I took my first draw where my tongue was introduced to a creamy earth taste, a first for me.
As I smoked the creamy cigar and looked outside, I heard little sparrows chirping at each other about the plans of the day. The rain drizzled down on this cool New York morning. It's amazing how such a little being can have such a deep impact on a guy. I had hoped she would have been around for when I get my first puppy (which I'm hoping will be either a bulldog, a Nova Scotia Duck Toller or a Golden Retriever). I look at the twin coloured smoke, brown and blue, dancing above my cigar while our last remaining furrkid, Bobcat, meows quietly in the background. My 15-year old tailless wonder (she is a Manx and born without a tail) is starting to realize that she's the last furrkid in our tribe of kittens. I think she misses that annoying little shadow that would follow her around.
The DaVinci continues to burn well, tugboating a bit here and there. Minor touch-ups resolve that and I listen to the city begin to awaken more and more. A plane lazily flies overhead while a couple of dogs yip at each other. The cigar ash stays pretty solid, albeit a disjointed form. I tap it off to ensure it doesn't spill on it's own at some point. As I get into the middle of the cigar, the nutty-flavour deepens a bit. I almost taste an almond taste with a hidden sweetness in the background. This flavour continued for pretty much the remainder of the cigar with an occassional bump of leather taste. And like Rosie, the cigar is done before I expect it to. I think this was definitely one that would have caused her to purr and sit beside me as I write this. Definitely worthy of a salute to those that love us unconditionally.
A sad tribute but a tribute none-the-less to a beautiful little kitten. So if you have a furrkid of one type or another, give them a little salute, a hug and a treat. And smoke a cigar in their honour while they are alive. Much like our BOTL and SOTL that we share our smokes with, sometimes our little ones like to share with us.
Enjoyed with: water and coffee
Smoke time: approximately 80 minutes
Final Review Rating: 8.4/10
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